This morning, Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) unanimously voted to take the wild camping case to the court of appeal - challenging January's ruling which removed the right to wild camp on Dartmoor and replaced it with a permissive scheme.

The appeal follows a challenge brought to the park by Alexander Darwall, the owner of 4,000 acres of Dartmoor, took the DNPA to the high court late last year, who successfully challenged the decades-old legal underpinning of the right to wild camp on the moor without the permission of the landowner.

The grant of appeal was given earlier this week, while many gathered at the DNPA headquarters this morning for a rally to peacefully encourage the authority to push on with the appeal

Lewis Winks from The Stars Are for Everyone said: 'We are delighted that the appeal will now be heard. The regressive ruling must be challenged, and the right to camp on Dartmoor to be firmly re-established. We applaud DNPA members for showing leadership and making a stand for this vital principle of access. Wild camping is a right which we hope people will be able to enjoy for generations to come - here on Dartmoor and, in time, elsewhere in England.' 

The Dartmoor Preservation Society is currently running a highly successful public fundraiser to financially support the costs of the appeal. This recently topped £50,000.

Tom Usher from the Dartmoor Preservation Association said: 'This is an excellent decision by the board members of DNPA.The massive public interest and financial support offered by thousands of people has been astonishing and we look forward to working with the National Park to keep Dartmoor wild and free for all.'

Speaking at today’s DNPA Board decision meeting, Julia Wilson, campaigner and Dartmoor resident said: 'The recent ruling has inspired so many people living on Dartmoor, close to it and further afield to express how important this land is to them. The opportunity to camp, roam and belong without the express permission of a land owner is a fundamental part of this. This appeal has a wealth of public backing. The 3000+ people who joined the peaceful protest in Cornwood testament to this. 

'It is vitally important that all that come to Dartmoor treat it with care and respect. I am an advocate for this and I am an advocate for taking this to appeal and finding ways we can all collectively get around the table and talk about Dartmoor's future with our mutual care of the land at the forefront of the discussion. Let us appeal this decision but keep the conversation going about how we all contribute to ensure a thriving Dartmoor landscape for all.'

In a statement read by Darwall's land agent, Darwall criticised the move and took aim at the DNPA, stating :'You are behaving like a campaigning organisation- that is not behaviour that commands respect. You've become beholden to a pressure group. That is unwise.'